


You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my brain.

by DrunkSmoochum



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-10 19:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20533409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrunkSmoochum/pseuds/DrunkSmoochum
Summary: They were lucky.It could have gone so much worse.OrBen doesn't get shot, but suffers from a brain injury.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's so short, but who knows maybe I will continue this?

They were lucky.  
It could have gone so much worse.

They were at the Beale's house. Ben gave Lexie a kiss and stayed until she fell asleep. He was afraid to leave her. Which wasn't a surprise after everything he had went through not even an half an hour before.

Callum sat at the kitchen table as he watched Ben walk down stairs.

"everything okay?" he asked, standing up and handing Ben the cup of tea he made while Ben was upstairs.

"Yeah" Ben smiled softly, taking the cup from Callum. "sleeping like an angel" he added, looking sadder than he did before.

"Hey, come here" Callum said placing his cup down and taking Ben's cup to place down as well, before pulling Ben into a hug.

Ben reciprocated the hug, before pulling away as he saw Lola walk through the door in a hurry, Jay following closely behind her.

"Where is she?" Lola asked, sounding worried.

"upstairs, she's asleep" Ben answered, shuffling past Callum to grab his cup of tea again.

Lola nodded before quietly going upstairs. Leaving Jay with Ben and Callum.

"so what's going on here?" Jay asked nodding at both Ben and Callum.

Shrugging, Ben answered "just having a cupper" he showed the cup of tea before then asking "you want one?"

"yeah, alright." Jay sat sitting down.

Callum was about to walk over to the counter to make one when Ben motioned him to sit down.

There was a moment of silence. The only sound being the kettle and the water inside boiling.

Jay was staring at Callum like he wanted to ask him all sorts. It made Callum feel nervous.

Taking the cup of tea, Ben suddenly felt a bit dizzy. He dropped the cup, his fingers feeling numb. The tea splattering everywhere caused both Jay and Callum to jump up from their seat.

"Ben what the hell." Jay said, with no real heat behind it, rubbing away at his legs for the tea drops to cool off.

"Sorry bruv" Ben said sounding different. "I.. Uhm I- " before Ben could finish whatever he wanted to say, he collapsed on the floor.

In a hurry Callum was kneeled down besides Ben, looking and sounding worried as he tried to wake him up.

"Ben?!" Callum turned Ben around in a stable position, something he had learned during one of his first aid courses. "Ben can you hear me?!"

There was a slight mumble, but no clear sentences.

Jay called emergency services.

*

"I don't get it, he was fine." Callum said standing against the hospital wall. He had been pacing ever since they had arrived at the hospital.

Jay was sat in one of the chairs, not even questioning what was going on with Callum, already drawing his own conclusion as to why the wedding was called off. He had already phoned Kathy and Phil.

"Mitchel family?" a doctor asked walking up to Jay and Callum.

"Yeah Ben's my brother, is he alright?" Jay said standing up.

"Has your brother recently gotten into any car accidents?" the doctor asked.

"no?" Jay replied.

"Any fights?"

To that Jay scoffed. "Yeah." then adding more worried "why what's wrong?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Mitchel is suffering from a traumatic brain injury."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who were supportive and really wanted a part two, here it is!!

* * *

Jay was the one pacing right now. Kathy and Phil still weren't at the hospital and Ben was just pulled into emergency surgery.

"I-I still don't get it." Callum said confused, repeating himself, "he was fine, he looked fine." his voice cracked as he tried to keep himself together.

"well he ain't fine now, is he?" Jay said harshly. He saw Callum flinch at his tone and sighed. "sorry. I'm just worried."

The hallway door slammed open, running through the door was Kathy. "Where is he? What's happened?" She asked Jay out of breath.

"He's in surgery right now." Jay replied trying to calm her down. "The doctor will update us as soon as possible."

Kathy nodded slowing down her breathing, before noticing Callum, who sat on one of the waiting room chairs. "oh, hello Callum." she said sounding surprised, not having noticed him before in her worry. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I uhm.. " Callum said sounding nervous.

Noticing his struggles, Jay decided to help out. "he was with me, Lola and Ben before he collapsed. We were having some tea at yours, to calm down from the shootout."

Callum looked at Jay gratefully. It wasn't a lie, they were at the Beale's house for tea, but Callum's presence at the hospital had more to do with his feelings for Ben than anything else.

" alright" Kathy said before asking, "where is Phil?"

"he sent a text that he was on his way about 30 minutes ago" Jay replied.

Kathy huffed. "Leave it to Phil Mitchell to give a damn."

*  
The three of them waited for another hour before the doctor came to look for them, to give them an update.

Phil hadn't showed up yet, even after Jay had left him numerous texts and calls.

It was starting to infuriate Callum and he finally understood what Ben had told him all those weeks back.

_he's just some bloke that got your mum pregnant. _

It was obvious Phil didn't care about Ben, and it showed by him not showing up.

Thankfully the surgery went fine. Albeit there was some swelling and Ben didn't seem to breath properly on his own yet. Ben was going to be brought to a private room for recovery.

After entering the room, all Callum could do was stare at Ben and the tubes going in and out of his body. Kathy was sat next to Ben, holding his hand. A privilege Callum was jealous of in this moment, how terrible it may sound.

"Kathy, how about we get some coffee? Or maybe some tea?" Jay spoke after watching Callum for the past ten minutes.

"I don't want leave him by himself." Kathy responded, squeezing Ben's hand.

"He won't be, Callum will keep en eye out. Won't ya Callum?"

Callum nodded at Jay, letting out a soft, "yes."

Kathy let go of Ben's hand as Jay guided her out of the room. She gave a weird look at Callum and then towards Jay, who shrugged.

Waiting a moment a moment before taking Kathy's place, Callum sat down and held Ben's hand. He was at a lost for words, listening to the machine that helped Ben breath.

"I need you to wake up Ben." Callum spoke softly. "I-I don't think I can do this without you" his voice broke again.

Whitney had almost outed him earlier that day, and he had never felt as scared as he was in that moment.

Or so he thought.

Suddenly the realisation of possibly losing Ben was far more scarier than he had ever imagined.

"Please wake up, Ben" Callum begged as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I need you Ben. Come back to me please, I can't lose you too. "

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't really leave it here huh? Might make this a three parter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit longer, had a wedding yesterday!

"Are you deaf Half-wit, What the hell are you doing in here?" Phil stood at the doorway, scowling at Callum. 

In a haste Callum pulled back his hand and stood up. "I-I uhm.." 

"He's keeping an eye out for our son, seeing as his father didn't bother to show up earlier." Kathy said angrily as she walked inside the room, Jay following behind her.

"I was busy." was all Phil said. "but I am here now, so you can leave." he said looking at Callum. 

Kathy was about to protest, when Callum spoke up. 

"no."

"no?" Phil asked as he walked up to Callum. 

"No. I am not leaving." Callum said standing his ground. "infact I think you should leave."

"excuse me?" Phil asked confused. 

"if you really cared about Ben you would have been here the moment Jay called you and left you a message." Callum responded, the adrenaline of today still coursing through his body. 

"I told you I was busy, besides, what concern is this to you? You're not family. " 

"no. I know I am not family, but I care for Ben." feeling more braver by the second he added. "probably more than you do." 

Looking pissed off Phil growled "how dare you!" and went to reach for Callum. 

Jay jumped between them. Telling Phil to calm down. Guiding him out of the room. 

"so, you care about my Ben do you?" Kathy asked Callum. 

"yeah, I do." Callum said, suddenly feeling a bit more shy again. 

"Good, he needs someone good in his life that cares about him." she said smiling. "Other than Jay I mean." 

Callum smiled back at her before sitting back in the position he sat in before Phil showed up. 

Holding Ben's hand and wishing for him to wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Or say hi on Tumblr @they-call-me-halfway


End file.
